Lejeune Marine to participate in Invictus Games

Sgt. Lakin Booker, 25, of Florence, Alabama, stationed at Camp Lejeune. She will be participating in the 2014 Invictus Games in London from Sept. 10-14.

Photo by John Althouse/The Daily News

By Adelina Colbert - Adelina.colbert@JDNews.com

Published: Friday, September 5, 2014 at 05:26 AM.

In less than two weeks, 25-year-old Sgt. Lakin Booker will be the only female Marine from the U.S. who will compete in the world’s first Invictus Games.

Launched by England’s Prince Harry, the Invictus Games is an international sporting event for wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans. It will take place from Sept. 10 to 14 in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the Lee Valley Athletics Center. According to the event’s website, the games will bring together for the first time military athletes from 14 different nations.

The Department of Defense announced on Tuesday that 98 military athletes from the nation’s Armed Forces will be participating in this year’s games — 20 of whom will be Marines.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Booker said. “Why not actually compete and represent the Marine Corps.”

Originally from Florence, Alabama, Booker enlisted into the Marine Corps in 2007 and was injured during her first combat tour to Afghanistan in 2012.

“I got hit by two IEDs,” she said. “Finished my tour out there, got back and found that I have some back injuries, of course PTSD, TBI ... dislocated shoulder from teaching martial arts and two slap tears while teaching (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program).”

In less than two weeks, 25-year-old Sgt. Lakin Booker will be the only female Marine from the U.S. who will compete in the world’s first Invictus Games.

Launched by England’s Prince Harry, the Invictus Games is an international sporting event for wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans. It will take place from Sept. 10 to 14 in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the Lee Valley Athletics Center. According to the event’s website, the games will bring together for the first time military athletes from 14 different nations.

The Department of Defense announced on Tuesday that 98 military athletes from the nation’s Armed Forces will be participating in this year’s games — 20 of whom will be Marines.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Booker said. “Why not actually compete and represent the Marine Corps.”

Originally from Florence, Alabama, Booker enlisted into the Marine Corps in 2007 and was injured during her first combat tour to Afghanistan in 2012.

“I got hit by two IEDs,” she said. “Finished my tour out there, got back and found that I have some back injuries, of course PTSD, TBI ... dislocated shoulder from teaching martial arts and two slap tears while teaching (Marine Corps Martial Arts Program).”

The word “invictus” is Latin for unconquered.

Booker, who was previously stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, said she had just been attached to the Wounded Warrior Battalion on Camp Lejeune when she heard about the event.

“I signed up as soon as I found out,” she said. “I thought many people were actually going to be lining up ... and I would have to fight for it since I just got here, but I’m the only one from my platoon going.”

Booker, who will be competing in archery, cycling and indoor rowing, said she first got into the sports as part of her rehabilitation program with the Wounded Warrior Battalion.

“We’re supposed to do certain events that help us with PT, help us with our mobility, help us stay in shape and also help us reduce our stress,” she said.

Since signing up for the games, Booker said trainings have been more rigorous; but just like any other athlete, she had to treat injuries sustained during training with proper care.

“It’s so hard to train because you get injuries and you have to lay off for a while,” she said. “It will flare up and you have to take it easy — you have to ice it, take your meds, do what the doctors tell you.”

Booker said she wants to show that wounded warriors are determined individuals who are able to succeed despite living with disabilities.

“I hope everyone knows that, ‘Oh even though they are wounded, they still get out and don’t let their injuries get to them,” she said. “They can adapt and they can overcome all these injuries that affect them, whether it’s losing your limbs or just people with TBI — internal or external injuries.”

Lt. Col. Leland Suttee, the commanding officer for Wounded Warrior Battalion East, said he is excited for the Marines who are headed to London.

“I feel fantastic about the fact that Marines get to go not just representing the U.S. but they’re going to get to compete with other wounded warriors,” said Suttee. “It’s beyond just representing the country. There’s an aspect to this where there’s going to be a goodness that comes out of that — it’s just a fantastic opportunity.”

Beyond the competition, Suttee hopes the Marines will bring back a valuable perspective.

“The reality for me is that I just want them to go there and have a good time,” he said. “They will compete, Marines always compete ... I want them to bring back the experience of having met other wounded warriors from the other countries.”

The trip to London will be a first for Booker, who said she was looking forward to exploring the sights and sounds of the city.

“I’m going to have fun with it,” she said.

Aside from bringing home medals, Booker also hopes she will return as a source of inspiration for her fellow comrades at the battalion.

“I hope to tell them what we did out there actually changed the view of what people think of us,” she said. “We’re all wounded warriors but we don’t let our injuries get to us — we keep going.”